Podcast: Play in new window | Download
For Tennessee cotton farmers, its been a little challenging getting this year’s crop planted, but progress is continuing as they look to plant some 355,000 acres this year.
Lee Maddox: Cotton time in Tennessee Welcome and hello again everyone for Tennessee Home and Farm Radio, I’m Lee Maddox
Bill Walker: We’re defiantly running a little on the late side.
John Parrish: Actually we’ve been a little bit on the wet side.
Lee Maddox: For Tennessee cotton farmers it’s been a little challenging getting this year’s crop planted but progress is continuing as they look to plant some 355,000 acres this year. John Parrish is planning in Madison County.
John Parrish: Everything holds together we should get real close to our finishing up and about another day, one more day but we’ve got some isolated areas that’s been getting a thunderstorm or thundershower comes through every afternoon and we just can’t, it’s still too wet, you know
Lee Maddox: This is John Parrish’s 35th cotton crop and he says they are shifting some of his acres from cotton to corn and soybeans this year, but he’s hopeful as all farmers are for a bumper crop in the fall.
John Parrish: The good Lord blesses us with 50 to 60 inches of rain a year and if we could cut that water off in the following year and get our cotton out without big rain, torrential rain, we might make a little bit more but we always leave a little bit on the table because the weather.
Lee Maddox: In Fayette County Bill Walker is raising his 33rd cotton crop and he says they too have been delayed this spring from the weather and he will likely see some of his acres shifted to soybeans
Bill Walker: It’s our crop kind of choice. What we go to we’ve got a lot of grain as well but cotton is the majority of our acres and kind of what we’re set up to raise you know we’d like to be done here before Memorial Day. And I’d say if we’re not done by Memorial Day that’s gonna be the end of it.
Lee Maddox: Statewide about 50% of the cotton crop has been planted and farmers are hoping for dry weather this next week to make up for lost time. But Walker still says he expects total acres to fall
Bill Walker: In our area, we’re gonna be down 25 to 30% I think in this area.
Lee Maddox: For Tennessee Home and Farm Radio. I’m Lee Maddox
